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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

So you Want to get Into Running ft. Melissa Bishop

Are you interested in running, or recently picked up the sport but don't know where to go from here? We're excited to welcome 2x Olympian Melissa Bishop to the blog to share some of the tips that she has learnt throughout her running career.

Melissa is an 800m runner for Team Canada. She has competed at the last 2 Olympic Games, 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio. At the Rio Olympics, Melissa was just shy of a podium spot, finishing 4th in the World. She also had one of the most successful seasons last year - setting multiple records and earning a gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games, and a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships. Currently, she is the women's National record holder at the 800m distance.

Melissa's three tips for a successful running career? Listen to your body, get comfortable with the uncomfortable, and set goals for yourself. Read more below...

Team Infinit athletes Melissa (left) and Noelle Montcalm at the 2016 Rio Olympics

Listen to your body - Get to know your body and listen to it. There will be days
when it will be hard to distinguish between “I’m tired” and “I’m lazy”. The
lazy days you will feel tired of course, but those are the days that you need
to do the work. The tired days are also ***sometimes*** good to work through,
but if you haven’t had a day off in a very long time, typically thats my sign
that my body needs a rest. Recovery is just as important as the actual miles
you're logging. Obviously, with thanks to Infinit, our recovery is boosted with
the Repair blend, but also with healthy complete meals, lots of sleep, and
resting. In my experience, if your having trouble reading your body- nagging
injuries, aches and pains, mood changes (for the worse), can be triggers that a
rest day is needed. Be smart about your training and treating your body
well.

Get comfortable with the uncomfortable - turn off the pain sensors. We all have them and tend to
stay within a bubble of “hurt” because sometimes running is far outside our
comfort zone. But in order to see results, you have to step outside where your
comfortable and experience the lactic acid and the tiredness associated with
running. I get it, its not easy.. I do this for a living. But I guarantee Lionel
Sanders, Noelle Montcalm, and every other Infinit athlete we have, get
uncomfortable every single day of their training to get better. We wouldn’t see
the results we have otherwise. This could mean pushing the pace for a few miles
within your run and still trying to continue the run afterwards without a
break. It could mean running a few extra miles or hill repeats to gain some
strength. It could be choosing to add a weight or core circuit to your
program.. anything to make you better at what your doing. Being uncomfortable
sucks - but I promise its worth the reward in the end.

#infinitwisdom

Set goals - Goal setting is a huge aspect in my job. Every year I get to
sit down with my coach and set small and big goals for the season. I encourage
everyone to set a goal - sign up for a 5km or 10km race, half marathon or
marathon. Whatever your skill level or fancy is. I also suggest finding some
running friends or join a running or workout group- when you have to meet
people to run you are held accountable to be there because the others are
depending on your participation too. You're not just letting yourself down, but
also your group.. they need your support too. Once you have set your goals, set
out to attain them. There are lots of running resources online for training for
road races as well as other training related programs. Start small to see what
you can handle and every week you can add more! Remember - be sure to take rest
days!